Major upgrades to security at the Manus Island detention centre, including the installation of CCTV cameras and better fencing, had been recommended by the commander of Operation Sovereign Borders three months before the deadly riots in February, but were not acted on, new documents show.

It is clear the Minister failed to act.

Lieutenant General Angus Campbell, commander of the government's Operation Sovereign Borders, told the government in November that the security at the detention centre was not appropriate.

Lieutenant General Angus Campbell told the government in November that the security at the detention centre was not appropriate. Photo: Andrew Meares

He made multiple recommendations including improvements to fencing, lighting and the installation of CCTV, according to newly released senate estimate documents.

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Lieutenant Campbell's report was received by both the immigration department and Immigration Minister Scott Morrison on November 5. But three months later, as violence erupted in the Papua New Guinea centre that killed one asylum seeker and injured 62 others, not one of those three key changes had been implemented.

Witnesses to the brutal attack, who have spoken to Fairfax Media, say the fencing was so unstable it was pushed over by PNG nationals, including those employed as security guards; and there were major power outages just before the violence causing confusion and panic among asylum seekers.

There is also no suggestion that any of the violence was captured on CCTV footage during February 16 and 17.

Labor immigration spokesman, Richard Marles, said Mr Morrison had been negligent and reckless in not immediately implementing Lieutenant Campbell's suggestions.

"It is clear the Minister failed to act – he has demonstrated gross incompetence in managing this facility," Mr Marles said.

"There were clear recommendations to address security including fencing raised – Minister Morrison has shown negligence and recklessness in not actively making sure these issues were fixed."

When Scott Morrison came into power as Immigration Minister in September, he ordered a "full force protection assessment to be undertaken at all offshore processing centres and at Christmas Island."

The order, he said at the time, was based on his own "concerns about the status of security arrangements and adequacy of security infrastructure put in place by the former government."

The review was to be undertaken by Lieutenant Campbell, who was to look at any "weaknesses that could be exploited or whether there are potential threats against the centre from within and outside in particular".

Now, nearly six months since that final assessment was handed down, an order has reportedly been placed for prison-grade perimeter fencing.

In a statement on Tuesday night, Mr Morrison's office said: "The need for such an immediate assessment was necessitated by the clearly unsuitable state of infrastructure and security arrangements on Manus Island put in place by the previous government.

"In November following completion of the review the minister authorised implementation of all recommendations and secured funding to enable their implementation.

"This occurred at the same time that he initiated a review of the contracting arrangements for all service providers on Nauru and Manus Island which resulted in the decision not to continue the contracts for G4S and The Salvation Army at the conclusion of their contract term in February. The recommendations of the report continue to be implemented."

Clarification: The original version of this story said the federal government had not implemented key recommendations in the report by Lieutenant-General Angus Campbell regarding the installation of fencing, lighting and CCTV on Manus Island. It did not intend to say that none of the recommendations had been implemented.

175 comments so far

The Minister said, when he alone maintained that the violence had occurred outside the Centre, that he could only guarantee their safety while they were inside the Centre.

The Minister has clearly failed his self-confessed baseline standards. In the Westminster system, the Minister would have resigned.

Any Minister professing Biblical standards would have resigned.

In any government of meritocracy, the Minister would have been sacked.

Why is Scott Morrison still in Cabinet?

Commenter

Ross

Location

MALLABULA

Date and time

April 30, 2014, 8:10AM

Using your new standards for Govt most of the leaders of the Rudd and Gillard Govt should have resigned.

On our favorite subject the boatpeople, Bowen the Minister for Immigration proclaimed that all those found guilty of burning down the immigration facilities on Christmas Islands would be deported. None were. Worse even QCs were provided to some defendants. The total costs of the legal processes were greater than the costs of burnt down buildings.

Not much news about what happened at the bigger destruction of buildings on Nauru Islands by boatpeople when about $60,000,000 wort were destroyed.

Commenter

Dr B S Goh

Location

Australian in Asia

Date and time

April 30, 2014, 9:30AM

Scott Morrisson should not be in charge of anything that deals with peoples' protection or well being. He shows his incapability time and time again.

Commenter

meatatarian

Location

thankfully not at manus prison

Date and time

April 30, 2014, 10:12AM

Why's he still there? I suspect he is by Aboat's standards, performing accordingly.Not a great deal of talent to choose from and no moderates have any position of power.

Commenter

A country gal

Date and time

April 30, 2014, 10:14AM

Dr Goh, the Government was warned of the dangers involved and chose to do nothing. Heck, maybe they even preferred it that way.

We are having a Royal Commission into pink batts (having already undertaken several reviews). Please tell us in you own special way, how is this a new standard?

Commenter

jofek

Date and time

April 30, 2014, 10:21AM

Dr B.S.Goh, Boat building is a growth industry in Indonesia, in anticipation of billions of asylum seekers wanting to invade Australia illegally to escape the rigors of the impending population explosion. The end is nigh - prepare to meet thy doom !

Commenter

adam

Location

yarrawonga

Date and time

April 30, 2014, 10:23AM

Morrisson has done a great job stopping the boatpeople completely.

IPCC recent reports stated that global warming will displace hundreds of millions of people. Where will these people head for if the Greens and left ALP keep insisting that Australia hangs out the banner, "Australia Welcomes Boatpeople". You do not have to be a genius to guess the answer.

Commenter

Dr B S Goh

Location

Australian in Asia

Date and time

April 30, 2014, 10:27AM

Scott Morrison is no different from most other professed Christians. There are many who are sitting idly by and witnessing this obscene travesty as it happens.

Commenter

adam

Location

yarrawonga

Date and time

April 30, 2014, 10:38AM

@ jofek. K Rudd set up Manus Islands Model 2 worse than J Howard Manus Island Model 1 on the back of the envelope without anything in place. Why blame Morrisson for most of the things K Rudd should be held responsible for on Manus Islands. Ah of course it was just a trick by Rudd to gain votes.in Elections 2013.

Commenter

Dr B S Goh

Location

Australian in Asia

Date and time

April 30, 2014, 10:42AM

Oh, Mr McGoh, you've done it again! 'It' being your attempt at defending. Morrison by bringing up irrelevancies to the topic, of course. The report by the General was given to the Abbottocracy after they were sworn in to government and they sat on it, doing absolutely nothing about its recommendations until, surprise, surprise, disaster, injuries and death strike, as predicted. Morrison changes his stories when it suits or when facts show him to have mislead the parliament and the public and he takes no responsibility for his dithering and inactions.

As for your moral outrage at asylum seekers receiving legal representation, one can only wonder at your flexible views on human and legal rights. You might want to refresh yourself as to the fact that all people under Australian jurisdiction, Australian nationals or not, are entitled to presumption of innocence and legal advice and representation. Perhaps you'd prefer Egypt's new legal regime of hour long mass trials? After all, asylum seekers have been maligned here in similar ways to Egypt's maligning of the Muslim Brotherhood, or simply those it conveniently labels as Muslim Brotherhood to further its agenda.Try to move on and accept that what the LNP has or has not done since forming government is nothing to do with the government it replaced. It's supposed to full of adults, averse to making excuses or breaking promises, after all, though the emphasis truly is on supposedly, since they haven't demonstrated anything of the sort to date